CHICAGO — Governor Pritzker announced that 1,500 new Illinois homebuyers have been offered $18 million in downpayment assistance through the newly created IHDAccess Home (Access Home) program – representing a 52 percent increase in the number of people served by all other IHDA loan programs compared to April 2025. This progress took place just nine weeks after the program was launched, which speaks to the need among first-time homebuyers as well as the effectiveness of the program.

This critical milestone comes as momentum grows for Governor Pritzker’s ambitious Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) plan, which will lower housing costs and address the housing shortage. Supporters of BUILD include a broad coalition of real estateprofessionals, developers, activists, mayors and communities.

“Access Home is proving exactly what we knew to be true: when we invest in working families, we unlock real opportunity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In just nine weeks, this program has helped 1,500 Illinoisans take the first step toward homeownership—and we’re only getting started.”

May is also Affordable Housing Month, and these initiatives help working families achieve the dream of homeownership, allowing them to invest in their economic future with a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

Access Home

Nine weeks after Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) announced the Access Home program, 1,500 first-time homebuyers were offered $18 million in down payment assistance. Access Home is IHDA’s most popular downpayment assistance program this year, representing 61% of all loan reservations made in 2026. This milestone is also marked by a substantial 52% increase from 2025 in the number of first-time homebuyers supported compared to all other programs for this group.

Access Home provides an affordable 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage paired with up to $15,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance for both current and new-construction homes. By supporting upfront costs, Access Home enables new buyers to enter the housing market sooner and begin building equity earlier.

“The median age of first-time homebuyers continues to increase as would-be homeowners are confronted with fewer housing options and forced to spend more of their hard-earned income to make a purchase,” said IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust. “As evidenced by the recent success of Access Home, there remains a large pool of individuals and families who want to buy and put roots down in Illinois. The passage of BUILD will expand IHDA’s ability to provide downpayment assistance programs for working individuals and families, giving them the chance to thrive and not worry about student loan debt or other hurdles preventing them from achieving their dreams.”

Access Home is available through a statewide network of more than 160 approved lenders and can be used with various other local assistance programs to maximize affordability. Access Home is a permanent IHDA program with no sunset date.

Prospective buyers can find a participating lender to learn if now is the right time to become a homeowner at www.ihdamortgage.org.

BUILD Illinois

Governor Pritzker unveiled the BUILD plan as part of his State of the State address in February. BUILD is designed to address critical housing supply challenges affecting renters, homebuyers, and developers alike. If approved by the Illinois General Assembly, this suite of legislation would expand housing supply and administer a transformative capital investment package:

• Unlocking Illinois’ full housing potential: BUILD would legalize a wider range of family-friendly housing types that Illinoisans can afford, such as duplexes, triplexes and four-flats. The legislation would also permit Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to boost homeowner income and local housing supply. Additionally, BUILD would prioritize people over parking spaces, allowing developers to build new housing with more sensible parking space requirements.
• Attracting more housing developers by cutting red tape: BUILD would make housing development faster and more cost-effective. It would give developers clear timelines for permit reviews and inspections and standardize impact fee practices — increasing predictability while protecting decision-making at the local level. It would also allow qualified third parties to help developers when delays occur.
• Delivering $250 million to support development and homeownership: Governor Pritzker’s proposed budget allocated $100 million in capital funding to support middle housing construction and $50 million would go toward down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) would administer $100 million in capital grant funding to eliminate infrastructure barriers to housing projects (including stormwater, sewer, and site access improvements). This investment would help unlock approximately 100 sites and enable up to 4,000 new homes.

Governor Pritzker hosted a discussion on housing and his BUILD Initiative at the City Club of Chicago, spoke at the Illinois REALTORS Capitol Conference, and convened local officials, real estate professionals, construction and business representatives, and community members at a Bloomington roundtable discussion on the BUILD proposal. Mayors from across the state have also supported this initiative, stating, “The status quo hasn’t solved our housing shortage. Illinois’ BUILD plan can”